• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

2

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow

1

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

2

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
TechGoogle

Google Wants to Do More Behind Your Wheel

By
Kirsten Korosec
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kirsten Korosec
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 19, 2016, 7:29 AM ET
2016
2016Screenshot of Google presentation
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Google is pushing deeper into the automotive industry with an update to Android Auto that will add popular features and make the connected car platform accessible to users who were previously shut out of the app. And that’s just Android Auto news.

The search engine giant also wants the next generation of Android to be the operating system that runs everything in future cars, including the heating and cooling, navigation, and music—even the speedometer, fuel gauge, and other parts of the digital instrument cluster.

At Google’s annual developer conference on Wednesday, the company announced a number of new features to Android Auto, an in-car software platform that brings the functionality and feel of a smartphone to the vehicle’s central screen. Google (GOOGL) said it is adding the popular crowdsourcing map Waze to Android Auto as well as “hotwording,” which lets drivers activate voice functionality by saying “OK, Google.”

Users will soon be able to operate Android Auto wirelessly by syncing to the central screen through a car’s built-in Wi-Fi network. Since Android Auto launched last year, users have had to plug their smartphones into the car’s USB port to integrate the phone’s music, maps and navigation, and selected apps onto the central screen. All of these features will be rolled out over the next several months, Google said.

The company also said it will now allow major automakers to use the Android Auto platform to build their own apps for car-related services. Hyundai is the first to launch an Android App, which adds vehicle-specific functionality like access to roadside assistance and car diagnostics.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Perhaps the most immediate impactful change is that Android Auto will now be available to anyone, even if they drive a car that isn’t compatible with the platform. Audi, BMW, GM (GM), Kia, Ford (F), Hyundai, Volvo, and Volkswagen all have signed partnerships with Google (and rival Apple (AAPL) in many cases) to add their connected car platforms to new model cars. But that has left millions of other vehicles, and their drivers, without access to the platform.

Google also said Wednesday it’s bringing the Android Auto experience to the phone screen, no new car required. Users will have access to all the same features as in-car Android Auto, including voice-enabled calling, media, messaging and navigation with a new driver-friendly interface. The on-phone experience will be available later this year with an update to the Android Auto app.

Here’s what else Google announced at its annual developer conference:

Google is also making a significant long-term play in automotive. It’s tweaked the next generation of Android so that automakers can use the open source operating system to create a customized, turn-key infotainment system that controls HVAC, navigation, AM/FM, media streaming, Bluetooth calling and media streaming, multichannel audio, and digital instrument clusters.

Android Auto is in cars, but it’s not an operating system; it’s the HMI layer—or a secondary interface—that sits on top of the operating system. The new version of Android is essentially dashboard-friendly, meaning it makes it easy for automakers to use it to create an infotainment platform for their cars.

Google partnered with Qualcomm, which is supplying the chips to power the system, to demonstrate at the developer conference what this might look like. The companies retrofitted a Maserati Ghibli luxury sedan with a vertical 15-inch touchscreen that displays a new infotainment user interface and apps from Google and the Android developer ecosystem.

For now, the Android in-car infotainment system is just a concept. Automakers have not made any formal agreements to use Android. A Google spokeswoman told Fortune that automakers were actually pushing for this. If they do bite, that means companies like QNX, a subsidiary of Blackberry (BBRY) that has largely dominated the infotainment software market, faces a new huge competitor.

About the Author
By Kirsten Korosec
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping shaking hands
PoliticsChina
China adds 14 European firms to export control list in tit-for-tat over EU’s Russia sanctions
By The Associated PressJuly 24, 2026
50 minutes ago
t
EnergyWhite House
Trump promises cheaper power from data centers. Analysts say bills could jump 40%
By Josh Boak, Matthew Daly and The Associated PressJuly 24, 2026
2 hours ago
sk
LawSouth Korea
South Korea’s ‘divorce of the century’ results in order for SK chair to pay ex-wife $640 million
By The Associated PressJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago
brockman speaks on stage
AIOpenAI
OpenAI President says the HuggingFace security beach ‘is indicative of the times we are in’ as the company continues to investigate how its models went rogue
By Emily ForliniJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago
craig
CommentaryPharmaceutical Industry
Big pharma’s patent cliff meets a new biotech Cold War: We need to outrun China, not outlaw it
By Craig GarthwaiteJuly 24, 2026
4 hours ago
Three people sitting on stairs
Startups & VentureTerm Sheet
Neo raises $100 million to hunt the zombie AI agents haunting your company
By Amanda GerutJuly 24, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
Big Tech
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
By Sydney LakeJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
Economy
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 23, 2026
24 hours ago
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
Personal Finance
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
By Joshua HongJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
Economy
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.